James William Jackson

Portrait of James William Jackson.
James William Jackson (1850-1928) was born in Fayetteville, NC and moved to Wilmington, NC with his family during childhood. He started work at a young age with the Wilmington Journal newspaper, the first daily published in North Carolina. While with the newspaper, Jackson met Benjamin Bell and together the pair founded the Jackson & Bell printing firm in 1877. The firm purchased the Wilmington Messenger newspaper, the only state-wide paper in North Carolina. It was also the first job-printing business in Wilmington. Jackson remained at the head of this firm until his death. He is buried in Oakdale Cemetery.